CYNGOR CYMUNED GORSLAS COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Minutes of the 2014/5 Annual Meeting and May Meeting of Gorslas Community Council held at Ceneithin School on Monday evening, 12th MAY 2014 at 7.00 p.m.

PRESENT: - Cllr Terry Davies ,Cllr Clive Green, Cllr Aled Rees, Cllr Ellis Davies, Cllr Janice Price, Cllr Aled Owen, Cllr Darren Price, Cllr Tina Jukes, Cllr Wyn Edwards, Cllr Simon Martin, Cllr Huw Davies, Cllr Anthony Rees

Translator and Clerk.

1.0 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were received Cllr B Kirby, Cllr Terry Jones

2.0 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT The Chairman Cllr Clive Green welcomed everyone to the Annual Meeting and gave a brief outline of council work and achievements during the year. .

3.0 TO ELECT A CHAIRPERSON FOR THE ENSUING YEAR and sign the relevant declaration.

Councillor Darren Price was proposed by Councillor Terry Davies and Cllr S Martin seconded the proposal . All members agreed that Councillor Darren Price , the Vice Chairman be appointed Chairman for the ensuing year. Cllr Darren Price read and signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and thanked members for electing him and giving him the opportunity and honour to be Chairman of Gorslas Community Council. He thanked Past Chairman Cllr Clive Green for all his hard work as Chairman during his year of office and all members who served Gorslas Community Council during last year. The meeting continued with Cllr Darren Price in the Chair.

4.0 TO ELECT A VICE-CHAIRPERSON FOR THE ENSUING YEAR. Councillor Terry Davies from the Gorslas Ward was proposed by Councillor Janice Price as the next Vice Chairman and Cllr Wyn Edwards seconded the proposal. All members agreed that Cllr Terry Davies from the Gorslas Ward should be appointed Vice Chairman for the ensuing year

Cllr Terry Davies thanked the council for the honour.

1

5.0 ADOPTION OF STANDING ORDERS.

The council agreed to accept the current Gorslas Community Council model agreement adapted to meet the council’s procedures and practices from the NALC Model of Standing Orders and Chairmanship documentation .

6.0 APPOINTMENT OF SUB COMMITTEE MEMBERS

It was agreed by all members that:- The sub committee ,should consist of the Chairman Vice Chairman and immediate past Chairman

7.0 TO APPOINT A ONE VOICE WALES GROUP-MEETING REPRESENTATIVE. Councillor Terry Davies proposed, Councillor Ellis Davies seconded and all agreed that Councillor Wyn Edwards should continue as the Councils ‘One Voice Wales’ representative. It was also agreed that Cllr Wyn Edwards should be the voting representative at the One Voice Wales Annual General Meeting and Conference.

8.0 SCHOOL GOVERNING BODIES. It was unanimously agreed that all the current Council representatives should continue as School Governors.

9.0 TO APPOINT EXTERNAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES. It was agreed that Councillor Clive Green be appointed as the Councils Hall representative and that Cllr Clive Green should also be appointed to represent the council at the Gwendraeth Group of Community Council meetings. Cllr Anthony Rees was appointment as the council’s representative on the Torcoed Quarry liaison committee .

10.0 APPOINTMENT OF RESPONSIBLE FINANCIAL OFFICER. It was agreed to appoint the Clerk

11.0 APPOINTMENT OF INTERNAL AUDITOR 2014/15 It was agreed to appoint Mr Lyn Llewelyn.

12.0 APPOINTMENT OF INTERNAL FINANCIAL/ POLICY EXAMINER It was agreed that Cllr Clive Green should continue to carry out the above Work.

13.0 REPORT ON CHAIRMAN’S ALLOWANCE 2013/4 The Past Chairman informed that he had given financial assistance and attended many local functions/events on behalf of the council during his term of office . He informed that a full list of his attendance had been 2 given to the clerk along with details of his contributions to various local organisations. He informed that due to the number of events attended and donations given to local organisations he had over spent by £140 The council accepted the report and agreed to pay Cllr Green the overspent amount . It was also proposed and agreed that in future years Chairmen should inform the Council during the course of their year of office if there is a possibility of an over spend so that any additional requirement can be considered by council before the end of the financial year.

14.0 CHAIRMAN’S ALLOWANCE 20014/15 In view of the additional demands on the Chairman’s duties and that there had been an overspend in the last two years .It was proposed by Cllr Terry Davies and seconded by Cllr C Green that the allowance should be increased to £1000 .

15.0 FUTURE MEETING DATES AND TIME. It was agreed that future meetings would be held on the second Monday of the month to start at 7.00pm

16.0 REVIEW OF POLICES

The clerk and Cllr Clive Green were requested to review the councils policies during 2014/5 which will include the following :-

Members Code of Conduct including the latest amendments Publication Scheme Equal Opportunities Scheme Welsh Language Policy Compliments and Complaint Procedure The Annual Investment Strategy including the budget plan Standing Orders Financial Regulations Asset Register . Health and Safety Policy Procurement Policy Risk Assessment Policy schedule Environment Policy

Once they are reviewed and updated members will be given copies

Cllr Green and the clerk were thanked for their work during 2013/4.

The scheduled May monthly meeting followed on from the annual meeting and was chaired by Cllr Darren Price 3

17.0 TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING OF THE COUNCIL HELD ON THE 14/4/14.

. The Chairman continued by going through each page of the minutes of the last meeting individually for accuracy. Some minor changes were noted. Subject to the changes , it was proposed by Cllr Clive Green and seconded by Cllr Ellis Davies and all agreed that the Minutes of the Council’s last meeting be accepted and signed.

18.0 MATTERS ARISING from the last meeting .

1. Foelgastell Notice Board at the New site entrance adjacent to Teglan . Cllr Aled Rees had contact the contractor and the clerk informed council that board has been delivered to the contractor Mr A Griffiths for erection at the site entrance.

2. Request for a litter bin to be located on the pathway between Maes y Gwendraeth to Garreg Hollt /Cross hands Park . Cllr Darren Price had been in correspondence with Mr M Roberts CCC and bins will be located at both ends of the path. He was advised that for Health and Safety reasons a bin could not be located at a midway point.

3. The mesh style narrow cover to the slot drains at Brynglas Estate near the park entrance was in need of repair. The clerk had inform CCC’s housing dept.

4. A Street lighting trench near the Post Office had subsided the clerk was asked to report it to CCC. He informed that the work had been completed

5. A tree was reported to be in need of pruning on the western pathway adjacent to the Dyfed Men’s Wear factory at Gorslas. CCC have attend to the problem.

6. Awel Aman Tawe write to ask for the council’s support towards Egni ,the first solar PV co-operative in Wales. They hope that the council will invest in Egni and help to publicise our share offer. They enclose a share offer document for further information. The investment can be between £250 and £20000. Cllr Aled Owen was asked to look further into the matter. Cllr A Owen informed that he had looked into the matter and whilst in principle the project has merits but in terms of investment he believes that it would carry too much risk for the Council and the returns would be small.

In view of the above the council agreed unanimously that they should not invest .

4

7. CCC inform that they are inviting applications from Town and Community Councils and Schools within the County for The Safe Routes in the Community Scheme. They enclose an application pack which needs to be returned no later than the 12th May 2014. The clerk was asked submit an application for a safe routes to school scheme on Black Lion Rd ,Gorslas. The clerk informed that after reading the details of the application it was felt that it would be more appropriate for Gorslas School to make the application . The clerk had spoken to County Councillor Terry Davies to discuss the matter and he had agreed to talk to the school.

Cllr Davies informed that he had spoken to the school and that an application for a traffic calming scheme in Black Lion Rd had been submitted to CCC

8 . CCC were informed of the dip on the Foelgastell to Porthyrhyd Rd and inform that they will be taking action as soon as possible.

9. The Maesybont Sign Blocking visibility on to the dual carriageway had been removed.

10. The yellow lines promised at the entrance to Llyn Llech Owen Country Park had still not been installed. (see latest information under correspondence)

19 .0 AREA MATTERS The following issues raised by members will be reported to the appropriate authorities.

Cefneithin .

Nothing reported

Drefach

The 20mph flashing sign on the Drefach to Tumble Rd was not working properly and was flashing 20mph regardless of the speed of vehicle. It was also reported that the electronic sign near Drefach School on the Cross Hands end was not working.

Gorslas

The clerk was asked to seek clarification from CCC on the adoption status of the Ffordd Werdd site road and the roads to new developments off the Main Site Road.

General Web site Questions were raised as to the number of hits the web site was getting and was the site up to date. The clerk informed that he did not know the number of hits but would find out. 5 He informed that the site was up to date as far as the minutes and latest agenda for the councils meetings were concerned but minutes are not put on until they have been ratified by council.

It was suggested that due to the complexity it should be done by someone with knowledge in this field. Cllr Aled Rees said that had experience in this type of work and that he would be prepared to take on the task , Cllr Ellis Davies informed that he also was willing to assist. The clerk would continue to update the minutes and the Agenda.

20.0 PARK MATTERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE CONCERNING SAFETY

Cefneithin.

The clerk informed that the rebuilding of the Front Wall near the Hall had started.

Gorslas.

It was requested that the grass cutting contractor ‘Spencer Environment’ should be reminded that the grass cuttings from the Parks should be removed particularly from the Gorslas Park frontage adjacent to the main road.

Drefach.

Nothing reported

General

The clerk informed that the twice weekly summer rubbish collections from the parks had started.

21. POLICE PACT MATTERS

Pact meeting report from Cllr Clive Green 28/4/2014

Present : 11 members of the public plus 2 PCSOs . New PCSO , Beth Thomas , introduced . Crimes last month : 10 with 6 detected . Location of crimes : 4 Penygroes 3 1 Gorslas 2 ( a theft in Church Road , Gorslas and a common assault in Cefneithin . Issues raised : Motorbikes illegally in an equestrian area behind Tumble Hotel . 6 Police thanked for their "Speed Reduction Initiative " in Drefach on 28/3/14 . Further initiatives will be undertaken in the future . Police to clarify what happens if an offender re-offends .

22 .0 MEMBERS REPORTS

No meetings had been attended during the month.

23.0 CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED FOR COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING 12/5/2014.

1. Aon inform that the councils insurance policy will be renewed on the 1 June 2014 . The premium will be £1520.59 ( no change from last year under the terms of the councils 3 year term agreement.).

2. CCC inform that further code of conduct training will be held at County Hall on the 21st and 27th May at 6.00pm. Cllr Terry Davies informed that it was important to attend such events

3. The Peoples Church write to seek permission from Gorslas CC to allow the use of the park for a ‘Fun Day in the Park’ event on Saturday 5th July 2014. The council agreed to the request subject to them having a public liability insurance and safety policy and that they have carried out a Risk assessment .

24.0 Election of new member

A notice of vacancy in the office of Councillor for the Drefach Ward had been placed in the Drefach Notice Board and on the web site . Any request for an election should be sent to CCC not later than the 19th May 2014. If an election is requested, the election will be held within sixty days of the date of notice ( which was the 28th April 2014)

25. UN LLAIS CYMRU / ONE VOICE WALES.

1. Invite a representative of the council to a meeting of the County Liason Forum on the 20th May 2014 at 6.30pm at County Hall. It was agreed that Cllr Wyn Edwards should attend

2. Inform that The Legislative reform (payments by parish councils) order 2014 has been made law. The order removes the outdated requirement for every cheque or other order for payment to be signed by 2 members of the Council. With the advent of electronic banking this is considered to be outdated. The order will not prevent present arrangements continuing if a Community Council prefers to maintain 2 signatures.

7 The council agreed to continue to use two signatures.

3. Inform that the next area committee meeting will be on the 29th April 2014 at the Princess Gwenllian Centre , at 7.00pm

4. Inform that Community and Town Councils have obligations under both Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts. Failure to meet these obligations could result in a substantial fine or legal proceedings. The Information Commissioner’s Office is the UK regulator for both Acts. Their Wales office, in conjunction with One Voice Wales, is delivering a series of workshops across Wales for both staff and councillors. There will be a workshop at St Peters Hall ,Carmarthen on the 9th July 2014 (6.30pm – 9.00pm ) the cost will be £15 per person.

5. Inform of and provide a list of the training available from 4/6/14

The list of the courses was handed to all members present . Members were asked to contact the clerk if they wished attend any of the courses . The importance of attending was stressed to all councillors. The clerk was asked to keep a record of courses attended by members from the 1st May 2014 onwards and to obtain a list of previous attendance of courses from UWW if possible.

26. Planning Applications

Full Planning

Cllr Terry Davies declared an interest as a member of the County Councils Planning Committee and took no part in the discussion or decision making

W/29999 proposed roof alterations including raising ridge level at 33 Heol Cwmmawr,Drefach

W/29986 proposed single storey extension to form disabled bedroom and wet room at Brynhyfryd ,89 Heol Cwmmawr, Drefach.

W/29998 change of use from day nursery crèche to residential dwelling with porch and garage to rear , at Park Mill, Cefneithin.

W/29969 amendment to design of extension approved under W/28784 at Bronhaul Uchaf ,Porthyrhyd/ Foelgastell

W/ 30005 single storey side extension to provide ancillary living accommodation in the form of a granny flat at Cwmcerrig Farm, Gorslas.

8 W/30087 retention of an agricultural access (partly constructed) to field from Blaenhirwaun Road, Drefach to enable adequate drainage of the land to be maintained. Council felt that the any entrance at this location could cause a danger to highway users as there would be limited visibility from the proposed entrance gate. The drainage issue is for the land owner to resolve. Council were aware that the CCC’s Highways division had attended to the drainage/ flooding issue on many occasions. The clerk was asked to write to the planning authority to point out these concerns.

Reserved Matters W/29978 a section of the Cross Hands East SES internal access road on land within and adj to Greengrove lane (reserved matters to outline planning permission W/23782.

Outline Planning

W/29959 residential development off Heol Cwmmawr ,Drefach

Granted W/29861 Extension to Llidiart Mawr , Maesy bont. W/29913 two storey side extension to existing building at 160 Carmarthen Rd , Cross Hands W/29597 outline application for one detached dwelling – resubmission of W/28420 refused 25/7/13 at land at Clos Uchaf , Drefach

Refused W/29733 new garage at 15 Heol Treventy, Cross Hands

27. NS&I further to the clerks request NS&I send a form to change signatories for the councils account. They inform that this requires a resolution of the council which needs to be carried by a majority vote and the signature of the chairman and three members who are not officers of the council must be included on the application form.

It was proposed by Cllr Ellis Davies and unanimously agreed by council that the signatories to the Councils NS&I account No 137935418 should be changed and that the following should sign the resolution form on behalf of the Gorslas Community Council from the 13th May 2014 ; the Chairman Cllr Darren Price, The Vice Chairman Cllr Terry Davies and the clerk Mr Elfryn Williams .

The form also requires signatures from three council members who are NOT officers. It was agreed that Cllr S Martin from the Cefneithin Ward, Cllr Clive Green from the Drefach Ward and Cllr Aled Rees from the Gorslas Ward should sign Section B of the form. 9

28. End of Year Financial Report

End of year financial report 2013/14, the internal examinations report and the approval /certification of the 2013/14 Annual Return Statement of Accounts and Annual Governance Statement certification .

The internal financial examiner Cllr Clive Green informed members he had examined the accounts throughout the year and that he was glad to report there had been no matters that needed to be brought to the council’s attention. The final end of year accounts examination was carried out and completed on the 7th May 2014 .

The clerk/Financial officer gave a copy of the 2013/14 balance sheet report to all members at the meeting before hand for information. ------

The Responsible Financial Officer (RFO) gave a report of the accounts and signed ‘the certification of accounts prior to audit’ box on the annual return form. Following the report council approved Section 1 ‘The Statement of Accounts’ from the Annual Return .The figures were derived from the council’s end of year accounts. (as shown on the balance sheet)

The Chairman and the clerk as the Responsible Financial Officer confirmed and signed the statements of accounts declaration and approval of the document by the council.

The content of boxes 1-9 in section 2 of The Annual Governance Statement.The internal auditor had confirmed that all matters raised in the questionnaire in section 2 were being fulfilled and answered YES to the criteria given in the individual statement in boxes 1-8. In relation to box 9 the criteria was not applicable They council’s chairman and RFO signed Section 2 of the council confirmation prior to audit stating that the Annual Governance Statement for the year ending 31/3/2014 had been presented to council.

The clerk informed and confirmed that the annual return Section 4 had been returned and signed by the Council’s Internal Auditor Mr Lyn Llewellyn and his report had been received .

Mr Llewellyn informs that he is pleased to confirm that the prescribed tests in relation to the council’s internal control system have been successfully completed. His findings are reflected in section 4 of the 2013/4 Annual Return and there are no matter with regard to the financial examination or the councils accounts that need to be brought to the council’s attention.

He has however commented on the Council’s total bank reserves. He informs that the recommended reserves should be no more than 12 months of 10 expenditure plus any earmarked reserves. He notes that the reserves were not taken into consideration at the budget setting stage. He also thanked the clerk for his help and co-operation with the completion of the audit.

The Councils internal financial examiner Cllr Clive Green was glad to note that the internal auditor Mr Llewellyn had no matters to raise with regard to the accounts. He informed that both he the RFO and the council were aware of the reserves held and felt that this was necessary as they was being held or earmarked (as described by the Internal Auditor) for park improvements and new park equipment which are very expensive. The reserve held above the previous years spend would not ‘stretch to far ‘ when one considers the cost of new park equipment . In order to meet the requirements of the INTERAL audit it was proposed and agreed that the council plan of action should be:- ‘to draw up a priority list of new /replacement equipment for the communities three parks and aim to provide such equipment before the end of 2014/5 financial year to meet the internal audit requirement if possible.’ It was also felt that there will always be a need to replace equipment in the parks and that the council should use their ‘Business Saver Bank Account’ to earmark funds specifically for this purpose and other wider community benefit schemes’. Cllr Green reminded council that the councils fidelity cover was £100,000 . He advised council as part of his duties as the councils internal financial examiner that he considered that the risk of not increasing the cover was very small and that in the early part of the new financial year there was always a larger than average spend . As such he proposed that the council resolve not to increase the insurance fidelity cover. The council unanimously accepted the resolution.

It was also suggested and agreed that the Chairman , Vice Chairman and immediate past chairman together with the clerk(RFO) and Cllr Clive Green the Internal accounts examiner should meet as a Strategy and Budget Committee sub committee to develop the councils long term objectives .

The clerk informed the notice of appointment of date to exercise electors rights had been placed in the notice boards from the period specified by the external auditors and had been made available for examination.

The annual return and supporting documents including the 5% interim audit which the council was subject for the year 2013/4 will now be sent to BDO Stoy the council’s external examiners in time to meet the allocated date.

The clerk and Cllr Clive Green were thanked for their work.

29.0 Payments

Ricoh Printer £56.10 Aon Insurance £1520.49 Cefneithin School hire 2014/5 £73.52 11 Gorslas School Hire 2014/5 £52.50 Internal Audit Fees £250

30.0 Date of next meeting The next meeting will be at Gorslas School on the 9th June 2014, at 7.00pm

The business of the meeting terminated at 9.00 pm.

12